Minimal level cataloging: What does it mean for maps in the contexts of card catalogs, online catalogs, and digital libraries?
Zorana Ercegovac · Journal of the American Society for Information Science · 1998
In this article, we examine some of the proposals which have dealt with the problems in cataloging in two different technological contexts: Printed-card catalogs and online catalogs. We first look at some of the measures which attempted to deal with the “crisis in cataloging” at the Library of Congress in the 1940s. Then we address some of the current problems in cataloging in the era of online public access catalogs (OPACs). In particular, we discuss the extent to which minimal-level cataloging, as defined by the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules and implemented in the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC®) database, works for maps. Our discussion is organized around two main groups of access points: Controlled vocabulary data elements, including name data elements, and free-text data elements. In closing, we discuss prospects that the next generation of online catalogs using the Z39.50 protocol and SGML format might offer to minimal-level cataloging for maps. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.